


Lovely, Dark And Deep

by deandratb



Series: Always Running [3]
Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Baby Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 22:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12735600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deandratb/pseuds/deandratb
Summary: Prompt fic, borrowing the AU storyline from this series for the sake of co-parenting fluff.





	Lovely, Dark And Deep

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt: **Red being adorable with Agnes**

Red had shoved her out the door that morning, knowing how much she could use the fresh air and some quiet time to herself. "Go," he'd said, waving a hand gaily. "We'll be fine here for a few hours."

When she returned to their current safe house in the afternoon, tucked away in upstate New York, the two were nowhere to be seen. It was the monitor on the kitchen counter that gave them away--he was talking to the baby in her room, undaunted by the one-sided nature of the conversation.

"You and I are having a wonderful Thursday, aren't we, Agnes? Had a bath, a lunch of carrots and peas that I certainly couldn't stomach but that you seemed to enjoy...how about a story before your nap?"

Liz was tempted to go up and join them, see her little girl before she fell asleep. It was still such a miracle, this person she'd brought into the world; someone who was hers. Someone perfect, from her long eyelashes to her tiny toenails.

Normally she would be there, watching her daughter drift off, fist gripping the green blanket printed with butterflies that Red had tucked into her crib when they brought her home. But it was a lovely sound, the smooth rumble of Red's voice as he tucked Agnes in. She sat at the kitchen table instead and let herself enjoy it.

"Once upon a time," he began, his tone softening in that lilting way he always employed for bedtime stories and nursery rhymes. It had not surprised her to learn that Red was an encyclopedia of fairy tales and nursery rhymes...though he always changed the endings if the originals weren't as happy as Agnes deserved. "There was a little girl with beautiful blue eyes and dark hair."

The notorious criminal was a total softie, Liz thought fondly as she heard him settling into the nursery's rocking chair. He never seemed happier now than when she let him take Agnes for a walk or feed her breakfast. Every night while colic plagued their lives, he had hovered nearby, ready to help comfort the crying baby. 

"She found herself lost in the forest one night, without her mother or father to guide her." 

This was a new one, Liz noted with interest. She enjoyed his stories probably even more than the baby seemed to...it was soothing, listening to his imagination at play. Not to mention just having him there. Honestly, she didn't feel nearly as much like a single parent as she had expected to. He was so good with Agnes, Liz couldn't feel guilty about relying on his help. 

"The trees moved in the cold, looking like creatures that followed her as she walked. All she wanted was to find her way home, but she couldn't spot a light in the darkness."

And the way his eyes sparkled when he held her, the way he laughed at the faces she made...he must have been an amazing father, Liz thought. Now that she was a mom, she couldn't imagine the horror he felt when he lost his daughter. If his time with Agnes helped heal that wound even a little, she was glad. 

"Out of the shadows, suddenly, she heard a voice. It came in a whisper, and she should have been startled, but something about the voice seemed familiar. 'I can help you,' it said, and as it rustled out of the bushes, the girl realized it belonged to a sleek golden panther."

Liz closed her eyes, letting him build the story for her and her daughter alike, imagining Agnes as she might look in a few years, standing on the forest floor.

"She knew that the wild creature was dangerous, but it had kind eyes. And she needed the help, whether or not it was wise to trust the big cat. So she watched it carefully as it approached, and asked, 'What do you want in exchange?'"

His voice deepened a little as he played the other part, making Liz smile. "'Only that if we meet again someday, you help me in return.'"

"Unsure how such a creature could ever require her help, the girl agreed. 'Please, now show me the way home.' The panther nudged her with his nose and turned to face the darkness from whence he came." 

"'This is the way,' he told her, coat gleaming in the patchy moonlight that fell over them. 'Follow me, and I'll get you to the edge of the forest. You'll be safe from there.'"

"It was not lost on the girl that a creature who could devour her whole was her rescuer, and she wanted to ask him so many questions. How had he found her? Why was he there? Could she really trust him? But all she wanted was to be tucked in her bed, safe and warm. Now was not the time to question fate."

With a start, Liz opened her eyes, hit by the realization that Red wasn't telling Agnes a story about her meeting a magical creature in the woods. He was telling her the story of them, Raymond Reddington and Elizabeth Keen, as it began, long before she was born.

Resting her chin on her hand, she waited for more. That was how he saw her? A lost girl? And himself, a dangerous creature who could devour her whole? Surely, they were past that now.

"They walked silently through the trees, the panther at her side. Alone, every crunch of leaves underfoot would have frightened her, but with him she wasn't afraid. Despite his mysterious appearance, somehow she knew he would keep her safe."

He always had, Liz thought. No matter how hard she made it for him sometimes, Red had protected her. And now he was doing the same for Agnes. Her daughter would never go through what she had as a girl, the loss and the fear. She would only know love.

"When they reached the last trees, the girl could see her house at the end of the long road he had led her back to. There was a light in the window, as though her family was waiting for her return. 'Thank you,' she told the panther, offering him her hand in gratitude. He ducked under it, letting it rest on his back before she stepped toward the light. 'Until we meet again,' he said in farewell."

Rubbing her scar absently, Liz let her eyes close again. Was that the end?

"The girl arrived home and slept deeply, free from harm. She had learned her lesson, and no longer walked alone in the forest at night...until one evening, many years later, when she had long forgotten the strange creature she met and her journey through the darkness."

"As she made her way home, she heard a voice off the path, calling her into the shadows. 'Please,' it whispered, 'I need your help.' Another woman might have been afraid, might have turned away and hurried to safety--but she was brave, and she recognized the voice with a sudden rush of memory. She had given her word."

"'Where are you?' she asked, walking into the trees, squinting in the dark. The forest loomed over her, too thick where she stood to let in any moonbeams. It was instinct that guided her to his side, where she found his golden form lying still on the leaves.

"'They laid a trap for me,' he told her. She didn't know who 'they' were, but she saw his paw, surrounded by the sharp metal that was holding him immobile, and she rushed to his aid."

"'I'm so sorry.' She released him from the trap and lifted his paw to check the scratches left behind by the metal. 'Are you okay?'"

"'I will be, now,' he said, gliding up from a slow stretch into standing next to her hip. 'Thank you.'"

"'Of course,' the girl said, watching as he walked away, blending into the shadows until she could no longer see him. She went home, unaware that he followed just out of sight until she reached the trees--and that he would do so again whenever she traveled through the forest at night."

Liz smiled to herself as Red finished his story. "He didn't belong in her world, but he saw to it that she was never alone." She never was, and now that she had Agnes to protect and care for, she was grateful every day for his company. 

She heard the click of the nursery door as Red left the sleeping baby, followed by the gentle sound of his footsteps as he tried not disturb her on his way down the stairs.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he found a grinning Liz waiting for him. 

"Oh, hello, Lizzie. Did you have a nice morning?"

"Yes, and an even better afternoon," she told him, crossing the room to where he'd stopped. 

"Our world is exactly where you belong," Liz said quietly, kissing him on the cheek. 

Eyes widening in understanding, he glanced at the baby monitor--then reached for her hand in response, unable to find words. Getting to be part of Agnes' life was the most precious gift Liz could have given him, one he knew he wasn't worthy of. But he hoped that his protection--his love--could make up the difference a little.

She laced their fingers together, and bumped his shoulder with hers, lightening the mood. "Really, Red? A panther?"

Her teasing tone made him chuckle. "What would you prefer, Lizzie? A bear? A wolf?"

"No," she answered, serious again. "A man. Just you, Red."

"Well, now, that wouldn't make for a good story to tell Agnes at all," he argued.

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But it made the perfect life for her. Thank you, for saving me every time."

Red lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. "You too, Lizzie. You, too."

**Author's Note:**

> Title borrowed from "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.
> 
>  
> 
> [get your very own drabbles!](http://actuallylorelaigilmore.tumblr.com/ask)


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